THE RELATIONSHIP OF METACOGNITIVE READING STRATEGIES USED BY SAUDI EFL LEARNERS AND THEIR EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

Abstract

Reading comprehension is a complex process that is based on several factors such as emotion, intelligence, cognition, metacognition and like. It has been proved that there is a strong correlation between the use of metacognitive strategies and reading comprehension. This study investigated the relationship between Saudi EFL learners’ emotional intelligence and using metacognitive reading strategies. The sample of the study consisted of 100 Saudi EFL learners across the age range of 18-35 who were selected randomly from different Saudi universities. The participants were homogenized through administering a reading comprehension test. The main instruments included Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (Petrides, 2009) and Mokhtari and Sheorey (2002) Survey of Reading Strategies (SORS) that measured the use of metacognitive reading strategies. The results revealed a highly positive connection between the Saudi EFL students’ emotional intelligence and the use of metacognitive reading strategies. Furthermore, practical implications were provided for EFL learners, teachers, and curriculum and program designers and developers.